The Lakers’ strong start has come with a notable absence, but that could change very soon.
Los Angeles is 6-2 after Monday night’s win over the Miami Heat, and the offense has been the engine behind the early success. Luka Doncic has been driving that surge, and his performance against Miami was more of the same from the 27-year-old, who has been on a tear to open the 2026-27 season.
Even with the team rolling, the Lakers have been doing it without one of their projected key role players in Adou Thiero. The young wing has not played in the regular season because of swelling and fluid in his left knee, an issue that has also followed him through his rookie season and into the preseason.
That absence may be nearing an end.
Before Monday’s game, JJ Redick said Thiero has ramped up his basketball work and gone through live exposure. Redick also gave the clearest sign yet that a return is close, saying Thiero will be available by the end of the week.
Lakers forward Adou Thiero will be available by the end of the week, per JJ Redick. Big time news for the young athletic wing and the Lakers.
Thiero’s NBA sample is still tiny. The second-year wing has appeared in just 25 career games and has not made a start. In those outings, he has averaged 1.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.3 steals while shooting 51.6% from the field in 6.0 minutes per game.
He also saw some postseason action last year, getting into six of the team’s 10 playoff games. In that stretch, he posted 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 5.7 minutes a night.
The Brooklyn Nets selected the 22-year-old with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft before he was moved to the Lakers for the 45th pick, which became Rocco Zikarsky, plus cash considerations in a seven-team trade involving Kevin Durant.
At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan and elite vertical athleticism, Thiero has the kind of physical profile the Lakers have been looking for on the wing.
If all goes according to plan, his next chance to suit up could come Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Lakers’ second NBA Cup Group play game.
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Doncic has made that case harder to ignore with the way he has started games and piled up points this season, averaging 38.3 a night and topping 40 in four of his last five. For a Lakers team still searching for a consistent identity, that kind of pressure can change the tone early and wear down an opponent before a defensive battle even really develops. [Read more 🡒]